The Noble and the Slave
by GoddessOfVictory
Summary: One Piece AU. After exchanging his freedom to save his two brother's lives, Sabo returned back to his family and stayed a noble for the next seven years. Now, he has his own agenda to reform within among the nobles and to pursue his own justice. Then fate has it as he encounters a certain slave that might change his course of direction.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey everyone, just want to apologize as I did some more editing and therefore have to re-upload this chapter. Chapter 2 should follow shortly. I have written several fanfics before but this is my first One Piece attempt. I really hope you stay for awhile, grab a coffee and enjoy. Please don't forget to leave me a review/feedback on how did you like it.

Disclaimer - I do not own any of the character in this story.

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The Noble and the Slave

In the Kingdom of Goa, there lives the Outlook family in a mansion situated in one of the more upscale district. Outlook III runs a business and is well known among the socialites. He has a wife who indulges in elaborate gaudy home decor and the latest noble gossips. And just like the other nobles, they point their noses up high towards the sky and sprout arrogance and selfishness towards those who they deem are lesser of them.

In the mansion, there also lives a young man at the ripe age of 17. The boy is different than the other nobles. In fact, he despises the stereotypical noble attitude and found their snobbish behavior quite distasteful. His appearance resembles nothing like his parents, except for the wavy blond hair that he inherited from his mother and he wears the traditional gentlemen top hat and long black coat similar to his father's. The boy grew his hair long and was blessed with prominent facial features which occasionally attracts a few attention from the opposite sex.

He had big dreams of travelling the world with his sworn brothers that he had met back at the Gray Terminal, a poorer part of the kingdom. It was a little over seven years ago, the boy exchanged his own freedom for his two brothers to live and sail the seas. Yet, he hasn't given up on his dreams. He would never. It was this very dream that kept him alive and living in this society that he despises so much.

Oh, and let's not forget, the young man has a stepbrother. Although the two boys grew up in the same household, there is pretty much zero similarities among the two. The Outlooks have made backup plans in case their own son doesn't become their successor. Recently, the stepbrother was given the special treatment to live abroad to attend an ultra exclusive private college. As for the boy, he was given private lessons in his own home. This way his parents can keep a close watch on him as they felt he still cannot be trusted.

"Young master Sabo, Professor Tudor is here." the butler announced and the boy will head towards the study to begin his lesson of the day. There were several times Sabo thought of running away from this hideous lifestyle. There was one particular day that he even built a raft so he could sail out to the sea. But for some unknown reason, the weather turned from a sunny day into a thunderstorm. Thus, he had to postpone his plan ... at least for now.

In the past seven years, Sabo spent most of his time coped up in his room. His room is like his sanctuary, away from all the other nobles. It was peaceful and tranquil as his window faces the garden in the back of the mansion. His room is spacious, consisted of two full size walk in closets and a private bath. His decor however is simple. Powder blue walls, a desk and a chair completed with a king size bed is all he ever need.

On several occasions, Outlook III do take his son out to attend his business meetings. He wanted him to gain exposure to his networks in hopes that Sabo will one day take over the family business. Aside from meetings, there were dinner parties at the palace and white tie events that he was forced to tag along. Sabo hated it all as that is where the socialites flaunt their wealth and brag about their successes. Everything about nobles were superficial. Despite how much he dislike these events, Sabo still went along; after all, he has his own agenda.

At these gatherings, Sabo would eavesdrop on some of the more interesting conversations that are exchanged among the nobles. Illegal weapon trades, embezzlement, money laundering, to drug trades. All these hidden agendas that are being carried out and blanketed underneath the sparkling champagne and crystal clear chandeliers. The bigger the parties, the easier for Sabo to maneuver among the guests, secretly collecting information and gathering evidence to put together a solid case against these people who are exploiting others under the power of money and influence.

There were times that he couldn't contain his excitement and spoke out at some of his father's meetings. Sabo really hope he can expose the ugliness beneath those who take things for granted by exploiting others. On these occasions, he would simply be sent to his room and was told to remain there for very long periods of time.

Between his studies and his father's work, Sabo will always make time to plan and record his investigations. He rolled up the sleeves of his light blue shirt and began preparing to conquer the stacks of paperwork on his desk. Then one day, while he is diligently reviewing some of the documents, a knock came behind him.

"Sabo." Outlook III appeared from behind the door. "Lately ,you have been taking on more studies and responsibilities from my business. To reward you for your hard work and dedication, I have a gift for you." Sabo looked up from his desk and starred at his father in surprise. He had never receive any praise or reward from his father ever before. He doesn't think he will like this one bit.

Following behind Outlook III was a girl. She was small in stature. Her head hung low and coarse orange brown hair draped across her forehead casting a dark shade over her face.

"Is time you are assigned a personal maid to attend to your day to day chores. She will be occupying one of your closet as a living quarter from now on, and will solely be dedicated only to you." Outlook III signaled the girl with a snap. The girl took a few steps towards Sabo. She was wearing the Outlook household maid uniform. A long sleeve periwinkle blue dress with white ruffles trimmed around her shoulders, sleeves, and along the edge of her dress.

"Thank you young master for letting me take care of you." she bowed deeply and smiled. It was not a genuine smile. Sabo took note of the doll like wide smile plastered on her face. He closed his eyes and sighed. This is the last thing he wanted. His only sanctuary to escape from the noble life is now invaded.

Outlook III saw the disappointment on his son's face and felt a glimpse of satisfaction in his heart. "Remember you will be taking over my role one day. Is time you start acting like one of us and put this slave to work." He remarked before closing the door leaving the two alone.

There was an awkward silence as Sabo is still sitting on his chair facing the new occupant in his room. The girl finally spoke quietly. "Your command,... young master."

The boy looked at her intently and asked her a question which she least expected. "So, what is your name?" His voice was gentle and genuine.

Taken back she lifted her head up to look at him. Her bangs parted revealing large dark blue orbs filled with surprise.

"Do you have a name?" He continued.

"I..I... do." She was stumbling. "Is... Koala" Her fingers intertwined as she clutched both of her arms tightly to her chest and awkwardly looked away.

Sabo chuckled and try to brighten up the mood. "You mean Koala as in like a Koala bear? That is a pretty cute name." He leaned forward and reached out a hand to her. "By the way, call me Sabo. "

Koala was more taken back than ever. No one ever asked for her name back when she was a slave in Mariejois, let alone extending a hand to reach out to her. "But... you are a noble. I mustn't... " She protested profusely and backed away from his invitation.

"Don't worry, I am different than the other nobles." He extended his hand further to her while his other cupped the back of his head. "I know I am a little bit of an odd ball that way. I believe in equality among the people. There is no one that should be more superior than the other, be it aristocrats or not. Since you will be staying in my room from now , let's try to get along Katrina." He gave her a reassuring smile.

Koala hesitated for a moment before she slowly reached out her arm to shake his hand. She didn't know what to think of her new master. The fact that he already forgotten her name only made her more suspicious of him.

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I hope you enjoy this story so far. It was only intended to be a one-shot but seems like I might have to roll out another chapter later on. Please let me know what you think, leave a review or PM me. I will be happy to reply to all your comments and chat about anything Sabo or Koala. I love those two characters. If there is enough interest in this story, maybe I should continue? Reviews are always helpful and encouraging. And yeah I noticed the story pacing is a bit slow. I am hoping the next chapter will be more dialogues and interactions to make up for this. Thank you so much for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hey everyone, I am back and now presenting you with Chapter 2. I want to thank you to those who took the time to review. I really appreciate reviews and hey... it helps us writers to improve upon our stories and it also keeps us on our toes to know if we are delivering what the readers want also. Is a win-win situation. Anyways, I just reloaded chapter 1 as I have made some minor changes to the story. Enjoy..

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Chapter 2 -

The windows were opened welcoming fresh scent of the morning dew accompanied by the chirping of the birds. It was a beautiful morning. Koala took in the beautiful sight of the cherry blossoms that bloomed outside of Sabo's windows. As a slave, she was not allow to wander outside. It's been almost two weeks since she arrived here at the mansion. This was also the time it took for Sabo to finally remember her name.

"Morning Koala" Sabo would try his best to smile when she brought his breakfast to his bed. With her frozen smile and expressionless face, Koala looked like a soulless doll. Sabo tried his best to be in good terms with her in hopes that she will slowly come out of her submissive ways. He was angry at how the world can let this happen. People being enslaved to serve the higher ranks and strip away their dreams, thoughts, and humanity. Looking at Koala, he wonder if there is anything he can do to change things around. He wonder if Koala is suffering. Is she suffering so much that she finally came to terms with it and accepted her fate with that meaningless smile?

The two managed to adjust their habits having to live in the same room. Partly because Koala remained quiet as she dedicated herself with chores and she was able to keep her presence to a minimum by retreating to her closet whenever Sabo is in the room.

One day, Sabo finished his lessons earlier than usual as Professor Tudor had to leave early. He opened the door to his room and was surprised to find Koala sorting through his letters that he had stashed underneath his bed.

Koala was equally surprised as the papers slipped from her hand and on to the floor. "Apology master, I didn't mean to look but I saw these while cleaning underneath the bed." She bowed her head deeply.

Sabo turned to the papers and noticed how there was a pile that was stacked neatly on top of each other. She must have tried to organize it as he had just cramped the letters into a chest. Sabo closed and locked the door behind him as he approached his bed where Koala huddled near the floor.

"These are actually letters from my brothers. Thanks for organizing them for me." He reached out and cupped a hand to her shoulder. "I try to hide it there so my parents will not find out about it. They don't like me associating with them very much."

"Your brothers? don't worry, I can't read. I am just a slave after all." Koala muttered as her eyes shifted away from his.

"These letters are from my brothers. Seven years ago, we drank sake together and sworn we will be brothers who will always look out for each other. These letters helped me through living in this filthy place." He closed his eyes and reminiscent for a bit before turning to Koala. "No one knows about these letters. Now that you know of them, I guess I will have to ... silence you perhaps?"

Koala's eyes widen at such a ridiculous claim. Sabo laughed. "Haha...you didn't think I was serious did you? Come on, you've got to loosen up a bit. Just keep this a secret. okay?" Feeling embarrassed, Koala's cheeks rose to a blushing red. He realized he is seeing some expressions that he hadn't come across from her since she arrived. Perhaps she is starting to gain back her sanity after spending time away from her previous enslavement? Her large innocent eyes continued to stare at Sabo in disbelief.

"Okay" He put both his hands up over his head as if giving up. "I guess I shouldn't joke about things like that. Anyways, you want me to tell you about my brothers?"

Koala's eyes lit up a bit with excitement and Sabo was more than happy that he finally get to share stories of his two best bros with someone else.

"If you haven't noticed, the letters from my youngest bro are the ones with the pictures and diagrams drawn in amongst these spelling mistakes. Sometimes, his handwriting will be different and that's because he had one of his friends wrote it for him" Sabo continued excitedly "My other brother knows better on how to write, but his penmanship can use some improvement as it hasn't change since we were kids." he chuckled.

Koala saw how passionate Sabo was as he continues on talking about his brothers. She couldn't resist and let out a giggle. The best part is Sabo caught every second of it. Her smile beamed like the warmth of a sun as if everything in that moment she had finally revealed her true self to him. Koala can look pretty cute when she smiled from her heart.

"You should smile more often." Sabo blurted out without thinking. "eh... I mean smile more naturally." he rubbed the back of his head with one hand, a nervous habit of his.

"Oh.." Koala recovered and straighten herself up. "I should go back to work." She paused before she headed to her room. " I would like to hear more stories from you another time."

"hmm" Sabo nodded slightly and agreed. He stashed his letters back under his bed and picked up two letters that he wrote recently and stuffed them into his coat pocket. He knew of a contact that he has been dealing with to deliver and receive the letters without having his family knowing of it. He couldn't wait till the day he gets to set sail and reunite with his brothers again.

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Lately at night, Koala noticed Sabo has been secretly leaving the mansion without any of the household members noticing. She was a little concern and wanted to follow him at one point in time to see what he was doing. But as a slave, she had to wear these bracelets around her wrist that are program to explode if she were to leave the vicinity.

There was one time Outlook III actually came into Sabo's room to look for his son in the middle of the night when he was already out. Koala decided to help Sabo out by turning the faucet in the bathroom and staging as if he was taking a shower. She was able to get away with it this time, but the same trick can't always work all the time. "Stupid Sabo, why do you always have to sneak off at night." She muttered to herself as she stared out into the starry night sky from his window. "This is not even in my contract. You owe me big time for this."

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"Now Sabo, remember what we have been trying to achieve here" Outlook III spoke as he paced back and forth excitingly in front of his desk with his arms folded behind him. "This is a great opportunity you can't miss. If succeed or should I say MUST succeed, our family status will be upgraded to royalty and everything will be taken care of for the rest of our lives. Do you understand that my boy."

"Sabo, your father is absolutely right. This is what we have been waiting for." Sabo's mother agreed with enthusiasm as she clapped her hands with glee. "My son will finally be married to a princess!"

Sabo rolled his eyes while sitting on a chair with his right leg bend leaning on top of his left one. His arms crossed over his chest without a care. "I thought this was about attending a party, marriage might be a bit far fetch."

"Wrong Sabo. This is not just going to another event. Is Princess Sarie Nantokanette herself personally requested you to escort her to the party. Is about time your good looks, which you have inherited from me, is finally being put to good use."

"Heh, don't compare me like that, I look nothing like you." Sabo clenched his teeth.

"Please calm down and listen." His mother pleaded. "You know you are turning 18 soon, which means you will officially become a noble. That is also the age that you can be legally married to Princess Sarie, which means we will be part of the royal family! A wish your father and I have always dreamed of."

"Looks like I don't have a choice, do I?" Sabo spoke as a matter of fact while he itched his right cheek with his index finger . "I guess I will go and escort this Princess" He smiled as he secretly thought to himself _and crash the party while at it._

With that, he stood up and left leaving his parents who are too busy planning out the details of what the royal wedding would be like. Sabo stride up to his room in exhaustion after this whole ordeal. Courting a princess to a party wasn't something he had in mind at all. As he entered his room, he heard someone was talking. He stood there in silence and perked up his ears. It was definitely Koala's voice, but he couldn't make out exactly what she was saying. Further question is who is she talking to?

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 **A/N-** So here it is to another chapter. I hope you enjoy. Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think about the story thus far. Also, I just realized is Share-the-love month so I added a bit more fluff interactions in this story. Let me know if you like what you are seeing or if you want to see more fluff or less and etc. so yeah, don't forget to click the review button. I know you wanna press it. :)


	3. Chapter 3 - The Truth

Chapter 3: The Truth

The crisp night air gently blew through the half opened window, while the room is warmly illuminated with a kerosene lamp on the bedside table. Sabo plopped himself down on to his bed with his back leaning against the bed frame. His arms crossed over his chest and his hat tipped down towards his face. He waited for Koala to appear in front of him.

"Welcome back Master Sabo." She bowed and maintained her wide smile. She came to his bed side and stretched her arms to reach for his top hat.

Sabo took this moment and caught her left arm. He pulled her close to him so that both of their eyes are levelled with each others. "Listen, is really not my business to know who you were talking to..." He pulled out an item from his pocket and it shimmered under the light. It was a tiny silver key. Koala's eyes widen with curiosity and wasn't too sure what the meaning of this is. Sabo proceed to take the key and inserted it into the bracelet around her left arm. "Especially as of today, you are free to go." He took her right arm and started working on releasing her right bracelet. "There should be a cargo ship waiting at the port that leaves in the next hour."

"Just like this? You are just letting me go?" Koala asked in bewilderment. She thought back to her days at Mariejois. She still had nightmares as a slave serving those Celestial Dragons.

If slaves do not do their job properly, they were severe punished and tortured. If they cried or crossed the path of the Celestial Dragons, they were killed. It never crossed Koala's mind that the owner will ever release a slave of their duty. "I.I...I don't understand."

"You were never meant to belong in this place. No one is. So go do what you want to do." Sabo continued. "For many of us, freedom is not something we are granted." he stood up to take his dark trench coat off and hanged it on the rack. Koala was still starring at him with her wide midnight blue orbs.

"Why are you not leaving?" Sabo saw her still standing beside his bed. "Don't tell me you are like the other ladies who have fallen for me." He smirked.

"Who would fall for someone like you." Koala quickly retorted. Her submissive demeanor quickly disappeared. "You hang up on calls, calling people the wrong names, and disregarding what others say, I would say you are pretty disrespectful and selfish."

Sabo was surprised and amused at Koala's sudden outburst. " You are pretty observant aren't you? We've only know each other for a few weeks. I am starting to think there is much more about you than an ordinary servant."

"Well..., you are different than the other nobles." Koala took a deep breath and composed herself. "What noble will free us from slavery like this?"

"Heh, You are right. I am a bit of an odd one here." Sabo chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "To be honest, I have seen too many things that I don't agree with the nobles. They all want to further themselves in their societal standing and they will do whatever it takes to do so. Not only that, with the different class system, people being treated as slaves and have their freedom taken away to serve others. Who gives nobles the entitlement to treat other human beings like that? My parents are no better. Ever since I was born, I was merely another pawn for them to use to climb up the hierarchy." Sabo took a minute to reflect upon his words. "To them, it doesn't matter what my dreams are, is always what they want me to do. Never cared about what I wanted to do. In a way, living in this house is really no different than being a slave."

Koala can feel every bit of emotions that is going through his mind. She hears the discord in his voice and sees the disappointment in his eyes. She suddenly wanted to say something to console him, to make him feel better, but words are hard to come by. "What about your dreams? Your dreams of sailing the sea with Ace and Luffy? Aren't they waiting for you out there at the sea?"

Sabo turned around and came closer towards Koala. There was a tinge of seriousness in his eyes and he placed his one hand on Koala's shoulder. "Make no mistake that I am not going to give up on my dream. I still have a few things to take care of first. Once that is done, then I am going to break out of this place and meet up with my brothers. Ace and Luffy. I know I have mention to you about my brothers, but I also know I am careful not to mention their names for their safety reason. Tell me, Koala, you read my letters. You know how to read. Who are you and what business do you have here?"

At his realization, Koala brushed his hand off her shoulder and starred at him with a triumphant smile. "Since you figured me out, there is no point in hiding behind this facade no more." She pulled off her white lace cap from her head and proceed to take off the rest of her maid outfit. Sabo wasn't sure if he should be looking but he saw that underneath the maid outfit, Koala was wearing a tight pink shirt, mini red skirt, and long black socks that goes all the way up her thighs.

"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Koala, member of the Revolutionary Army, and Assistant Fisherman Karate instructor."

"What?" Sabo jumped back with a shock.

"Well I really hate having to go undercover like this. I mean in reality I was formerly a slave but to pretend to be one again is a bit of an awkward situation for me."

He could now see why she was speaking out so differently than the other maids. Standing in front of him is now a confident and feisty girl who appears to be ready to kick his ass if he makes the wrong move.

Koala took a few steps closer towards him and reached out a hand with a more genuine smile. "Sabo, my job was assigned to observe you and you have passed all the qualities we needed for our next recruit. On behalf of the revolutionary army, we welcome you to our team."

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A/N - Well there you go. It was fun writing Koala as a slave and Sabo as her master, but now you know the truth behind her. Have anyone catch the hints I put out in case you were wondering why Koala was a little OOC in the beginning. Will Sabo accept this out of the blue invite?

Thank you so much for those who reviewed and dropped by to read this fic. I really hope you all will like it. Please don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think?


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